Device for use with can lids



June 7, 1960 uss Q 2,939,605

DEVICE FOR USE WITH CAN LIDS Filed July 23, 1958 FIG. I

IN V EN TOR.

,VHARVEYNOBLE BLlSS M AITOBNEYS United States Patent The present invention relates to a device for use with can lids and is concerned, moreparticularly, with an inexpensive manipulating and latching device for attach- -m ent topa partially severedlid of'a can for facilitating opening and closing of thelid and also for latching the lid in closed position.

It is a common practice when using food containers and similar metal containers, to open the can by severing the lid adjacent the periphery thereof near the edge or head of the can and to leave a portion unsevered to act as a hinge for the lid so that the lid can be bent back to permit access to the contents of the can. When the contents of thefcan are not completely consumed immediately, it is a common practice to leave the food or other material in the can for storage purposes such as in a refrigerator or other keeping place. In that event it is desirable to return the can lid to closed position both to protect the contents of the can and to avoid having the lid stick up from the top of the can where it is likely to be in the way and might catch or engage the hand of the user or. other articles. The difficulty is that the severed lid of the can frequently has a sharp or jagged edge making the lid difiicult if not dangerous to manipulate and, in-addition, it is diflicult to move the can lid precisely to closed position since normally the lid must be bent inwardly beyond the closed position to avoid having it spring back to a partially open position. Once the can lid is moved to fully closed position or beyond, it is exceedingly hard to reopen the can because of the rigidity of the lid and the difiiculty of inserting even a very thin prying tool such as a knife blade into the small clearance space between the edge of the lid and the bead of the can.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple inexpensive device which can easily be attached to a severed can lid for the purpose of rendering it safe, easy and convenient to move the can lid to open or closed position and to hold the can lid in closed position when desired. Included in this object is the provision of sucha device which is of'strong rugged construction so that it'will not be likely to break or fail injuse and, in fact, can be reused repeatedly if desired,

and which can be formed of readily available and inexpensive material by ordinary manufacturing methods so that the cost thereof is kept at a Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Patented June 7, 1960 2 the device attached to the severed can lid and retaining the lid in closed position; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relationship of the parts in latching position. Referring to the drawings, the device of the present invention has been denoted generally by the reference numeral 10 and is formed of a relatively rigid but inherently resilient strip of metal or other material bent or molded into the form shown. The device includes a base portion or leg'12 which is preferably dished as shown at 28 and is adapted to extend beneath the severed can lid, a detent portion 14 extending upwardly therefrom at the edge of the lid and an outwardly extending stop and'handle portion 18 adapted to extend outwardly from the rim of the can and which is'reversely bent or looped at its outer end toprovide an inwardly extending spring-like arm 20 which is curved downwardly at 22 and terminates in an 'arcuate hearing or clamping portion Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment v of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device attached to a an opened can lid;

24 in proximity to and preferably normally abutting the dished-out portion 28 of the leg 12.

-In Figs. 2-4, the device 20 is shown attached in operative position on the severed lid 32 of a conventional metal can 30. In order to attach the device to the partially severed lid of the can, all that is required is to place the edge of the lid in the crevice between the curved spring portion 22 and the lower leg 12 and then push inwardly on the device until the detent portion 14 engages the edge of the lid. It has been found that this is very easy to do, particularly when the can lid is only partially bent open as indicated generally in Fig. 2.

Although the device is easy to push into seated position on the can lid which is facilitated by the curved inner end of the spring arm 20 which provides a camming action, nonetheless the device will be firmly clamped on the lid and will be retained in seated position by the spring arm 20 acting in cooperation with the dished-out leg 12.

In order to open or close the lid, the user need only place a finger or thumb or both on the handle portion 18 and move the device and can lid as a unit and without any need to touch the exposed cut edge of the lid. When it isdesired to close the can lid, the Portion 18 acts as a stop by engagement with the head of the can. At the same time, the'detent portion 14 snaps under the inner edge of the head to latch the can lid in closed position as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. In this regard, it will be noted that the detent portion :14 is not at right angles to the leg 12 but instead is bent inwardly at a small angle to provide the snap action referred to. While variations in the amount of this angle are possible, I have found that an angle of approximately 5 to 15 degrees gives a desirable positive latching action without making it too difiicult to unlatch and open the can lid when desired. The detent portion 14 in combination with the adjoining portions of leg 12 and handle 18 forms a generally Z-shaped latch which is biased into latching engagement with the lip of the can when in latching position by the resilient flexing of the can lid on which it is mounted thus providing a positive latching action which holds the lid firmly in closed position until intentionally released. I

As will be apparent, the device of the present invention is easy and economical to fabricate and is simple and convenient to use and successfully overcomes the annoying and troublesome problems encountered in the manipulation of can lids. Since the function of the device is not dependent on the particular size of the can with which it is used, the device can be readily detached and reused over and over again with cans of varying size or, if preferred, the device is inexpensive enough so that it may be discarded with the can.

While the invention hasbeen descr bed with reference ees-9 s to the preferredembodiment, it will be realieed that variations and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art, and such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the art.

1. In combinationwith acan of the type'having a flat metal top terminating a peripheralibead wherein the top has been partially se vered from the can by a cut extending along a portion 'ofthe innerlperip hery of the bead, a manipulating-and latching device for the top comprising a clamp extending inwardly from the severed edge of the top and engaging the upper'and lower surfaces of the top to retain thedevice on the top for movement therewith, a's trip connected to theclamp extending across the severededge of the top transversely to the plane .of the top for engagement withvthe inner periphery of the bead when the top of the can-is-in closed position, and a handle connected to the strip and the clamp having a portion abutting-the upper edge ofthe head when the top of the canis in closed; position. 7

2. The combination set forth inclaiml wherein the strip is inclined upwardly and inwardly at an angle of 75 to 85 degrees with' respect'tothe plane of thetop. I

3. In combination with aca'n of the type having aflat m t r. t minatin learnirkrdb ad. wh r i uth top has'been partially severed from the can by a cut extending along a portion of the inner periphery of the head, a manipulating and'latching device for the top comprising a loop of resilient material having end portions embracing the top and bottom surfaces of the top in clamping engagement, and an intermediate detent and handle portion compri'siiightliin strip extending across the severed edge ofthe 'te 'tninsversel of the plane of the p t en e nt 'w hoi h i ne pc p ery f the head of the can when thetop "is inclosd "position "and a ledge extending outwardly-from the top of the strip for engagement with the upper edge of the bead of the can when the top i's' in" closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

